Event Safety Insights Issue One | Fall 2016 | Page 44
motor capacities, positions, or quantity to hit
the road safely, but it is just as much about
due diligence. With the technology now
available to give you accurate weights for
every point on the show, calculations are not
the best way anymore.”
VIEW FROM THE DECK
Over their four year history, the company
has highlighted a number of issues that have
been rectified before the first show.
What made you choose to use the service in the first
place?
I had been very worried with the number of accidents
happening with outdoor roofs in particular over the past
few years, and I was looking for a way to ensure we do
not overload anything. I then found out about Load Cell
Rental, and I decided to enquire how it all worked and
how it was presented. I had a USA Tour pending with
Def Leppard, and they play very large venues in the USA
and Canada, so I knew I would have a mixture of Amphitheatre Arena and State Fair type shows. I felt I really
needed to be in a position to send a complete package
to the Promoters, so there were no grey areas, as to the
weight and the distribution of the weight on any roof.
“It’s not always the case that rigs are heavier. We have seen tours reduce their motor
count by 10 motors for the entire tour due to
knowing actual weights, tours with set pieces
which have been twice the calculated weight
due to inaccurate raw material weights compromising the accuracy of the calculations,”
explained Luke.
The process of generating a report is simple.
Load Cell Rental technicians work alongside
the production team to install a load cell on
every point to be included in the report, either during rehearsals or at the first show.
Once the truss loadings have been finalized
a report will be completed. Each certificate
will note the plot reference from the rigging
plot, the cell that has been used to obtain
the reading to verify serviceability, and the
recorded weight from the cell. Depending
on where the cell is positioned an allowance
will be made for motor, rigging above the
motor, and a total for plot weight recorded.
The service is not aimed at questioning anyone’s ability or accuracy; it is meant to provide a comprehensive independent insurance backed report of the rig weights, and
evidence of due diligence.
Load Cell Rental now has bases in California, Pennsylvania, and Shropshire, England, and boasts a stock of 196 twoton Motion Labs cells, 24 five-ton Motion
Labs cells and 94 Broadweigh V3 wireless cells. For more information on Load
Cell Rentals equipment and services, visit
http://loadcellrental.com
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To learn more about Load Cell Rental from a client perspective, ESI spoke with Production Manager Phay MacMahon about his experience with the service
What are the main advantages as you see then of using
the LCR weigh report service?
I feel that having a document that you can hand to a
Promoter, Engineer, Stage company etc, that has the actual weights verified by weighing each point with a load
cell is a massive help to all of them. By documenting
everything in this way there is no argument about what
you need to hang, and if the Roof is not capable of holding this weight, then they are forced to come and discuss
it with you and come to a solution. I feel by putting pressure on the roof supplier or venue, you are pushing them
to be truthful with you, and therefore opening dialogue
to ensure you do not over load anything.
Why not just rely on estimated weights like we always
have done?
Estimated weights are exactly that! If in the event of an accident and a follow up court appearance to review what
actually happened, a Judge will look for clarification in
every department, to ensure that everything possible
has been done to prevent such an accident. An estimate
will not work in his or her eyes as it is merely an estimate.
They will look every time to see that everyone has done
their due diligence to make sure that everything is safe.
By using Load Cells, you will get an accurate read out of
every point, and therefore a true weight for what is actually hanging.